Motorola Xoom 2 review
Motorola’s Xoom 2 arrives at a point where Apple’s iPad (first- or second-generation…) still dominates the tablet market. The original Xoom was the first tablet to arrive with Android Honeycomb, an OS dedicated to the tablet form. In the months since we gave it a middling review, plenty more tablets arrived, faster, thinner, and more longevous (like the Galaxy Tab 10.1).
So what now? Well, Motorola has recast its Xoom: it’s made it faster, slimmer and lighter.
They’ve beefed up the disappointing screen found on the original, it’s now a Gorilla Glass-coated IPS screen that promises 178-degree viewing angles. But Motorola has also cut more corners than the four you see before you — ones that it hopes customers won’t miss. Read more
Archos 101 G9 review
Archos were making “tablets” before the majority of manufacturers had even considered it. It had large screen devices before the birth of the iPad and before Android even existed. Of course they were called portable media players in those days, and it was a slightly messy business involving software packs and docks.
But can experience in portable media devices give Archos the edge they need in this competitive market? Can their blend of affordability and media handling result in a package with universal appeal?
Design
Beginning with design, as we so often do, doesn’t get the G9 Archos tablet off to the strongest start. The choice of plastics reminds you that this has been designed to a price point and although there are some interesting twists, it doesn’t really manage to stand apart from other budget tablets. Read more 
HTC Jetstream review
When HTC entered the tablet game, it did so in reverse course. Where other manufacturers were jostling for elbow room in a 10-inch form factored world, the company opted for smaller, more familiar battleground, eschewing the rough-hewn Honeycomb OS for a Gingerbread-baked Sense overlay on the Flyer. Naturally, the time for that mini-slate to shine has come and gone. In its stead, we’re treated to a flagship of sorts — HTC’s first 10-incher and AT&T’s inaugural 4G LTE slate. Android 3.1 makes an appearance here, as does Sense 1.1 for tablets, but is the skinned experience really any different from the custom UX we’ve all come to love or hate on phones? Can the added Scribe pen functionality, repurposed here from its 7-inch brother, transform the Jetstream from third pillar offering to an always-on, on-the-go assistant? And will those newly hatched 700MHz speeds convince you to cough up for that weighty $700 price tag? Follow along past the break to see how it fared. Read more
HTC Vivid review
HTC’s been around this block before — the LTE one, that is. Back in March, the manufacturer was the first to hold Verizon’s hand as it tested the 4G waters with the Thunderbolt. That launch may have been fumbled (see: hotspot cycling and 3G connectivity for starters) and the device plagued by battery issues, but as far as head starts go, Big Red got a big leap. Now the time has come for AT&T to play catch-up, shedding its reliance on an HSPA+ faux-G crutch and shifting over to LTE wireless speeds.
To do this, the carrier’s enlisted HTC’s veteran expertise, taking advantage of its 700MHz know-how and offering the manufacturer a redemption song of sorts. This round two redux takes the form of the Vivid: an all-black, metal-backed unassuming plastic slab that houses a dual-core 1.2GHz processor and 8 megapixel rear camera with dual LED flash under a 4.5-inch qHD display. Impressive as its specs may be, AT&T’s not betting the entire farm on this phone and is trotting out the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket alongside to shoulder the burden. But for a device once codenamed the Holiday, its battle for consumers’ attention and disposable dollars could prove to be anything but leisurely. Will LTE history and its battery draining missteps repeat themselves? Can AT&T get a leg up on its first place competition with this $199 device? And is the allure of “true” 4G even worth your hard-earned dollars? Follow us after the break as we find out.
HTC Radar review
Windows Phone 7 Mango is here and that means a selection of new smartphones to choose from. The new version of the OS is aimed at users who are either upgrading from the first batch of 2010 handsets, or moving over to the platform for the first time.
The HTC Radar is a pretty risk-free handset. It has not got the massive 4.7-inch screen of the HTC Titan, nor is it as small as the iPhone 4S. The question is, does the Radar have anything to offer an increasing sophisticated mobile phone audience? We’ve been using one, so let’s take a more detailed look.
Design
The Radar is designed to replace the HTC 7 Mozart and HTC 7 Trophy. It introduces a number of new features, while at the same time offering a mid-range entry point into the wonderful world of Windows Phone 7. While the Titan will impress high-end users, those early adopters that like to show off their gleaming phone at the first chance, the Radar is going to be a subtler offering, and the design reflects that.
Measuring 120 x 61.5 x 10.8mm and weighing 137 grams it is not the thinnest phone, the fattest phone, or even the sexiest phone. It comes in white and silver, or gun metal grey, and at first glance is similar in design to the company’s HTC Desire and Desire S handsets.
The 3.8-inch Super LCD screen has a resolution of 480 x 800, and it is this that occupies the majority of the phone’s front surface. You’ll find the three standard Windows Phone 7 buttons beneath it, as you will on any Windows Phone 7 device. Read more
Acer Iconia Tab A100 review
Acer’s Iconia Tab A100 has some great redeeming features in its dinky compact chassis. That said, even the cheaper price isn’t enough of an added impetus to go out and buy it.
Acer’s Iconia Tab A100: Build
Acer’s Iconia Tab A100 is one of the cheapest and dinkier tablets here, with a 7-inch screen that still does the job when watching movies or catching up with last night’s telly. An nVidia dual-core processor means the Iconia Tab is as adept as most tablets when it comes to playing games and messing around with apps. HD movies play with next to no stuttering and the built-in speakers are surprisingly loud, although they sound rather tinny on top volume.
Acer’s Iconia Tab A100: Screen
The 1024 x 600 resolution keeps images sharp, and you won’t get eye strain thanks to the comfortable brightness levels. The excellent viewing angles mean you can enjoy a movie with a fellow traveller without crushing your heads together.
Acer’s Iconia Tab A100: Features
Browsing the web is a silky smooth experience, thanks to the responsive touchscreen. Pages load almost instantly over a decent Wi-Fi connection, and Flash is supported so you can enjoy BBC iPlayer and other video streaming sites. The screen is responsive to swipe and prods, although it does gather fingerprints in seconds so make sure you keep a cloth handy.
Acer’s Iconia Tab A100: Battery
Battery life is sadly less impressive. We didn’t even get through four hours of TV before the Tab died, the worst result here. However, the light and compact body means it’s still highly portable. The 13mm body is just 405g, so you can slip it into a handbag or tiny manbag without busting its seams. We liked the curved corners and swirling pattern on the rear, a welcome break from the traditional black rectangular design.
Acer’s Iconia Tab A100: Verdict
If you need something tiny and light to carry around, and don’t mind the short battery life, the Iconia Tab is a worthy entertainment device.
Acer’s Iconia Tab A100 availability: Out now
Acer’s Iconia Tab A100 price: £259
HTC Sensation XL review
The HTC Sensation XL pushes out 4.7-inches of glorious display to fill with your Android ambitions. It’s the latest flagship phone to launch from HTC, much rumoured and leaked, and now unleashed upon the world. It picks up much of what the HTC Titan set out on Windows Phone 7 and effectively gives you the Android equivalent, but with a few treats thrown in.
But does this phone bite off more than it can chew? Is it big and clever? We got the chance to spend some time with the phone prior to launch to bring you our first impressions.
Design and build
Let’s start with the design. HTC have stuck to their tried and tested approach of a machined aluminium back, with a bottom section finished in rubberised plastic to ensure plenty of reception. Like the HTC Sensation, the entire back comes away from the front, so effectively all the innards are attached to the back of that massive screen.
It feels solid in the hand. There are no plastic sections to creak as you manipulate it, there are no odd panels or coloured sections. It’s just big, clean and white. But it isn’t as attractive in design as the regular Sensation which by comparison looks more sophisticated with it’s speaker cutout and contoured screen edges.
The flat front of the screen gives you four touch controls across the bottom, home, menu, back and search. On the top you have the normal standby button and 3.5mm headphone jack, with volume controls on the side. A single Micro-USB is on the bottom edge – there is no HDMI out, as you might find on rival devices. Read more
iPhone 4S Review
1. The look #1: On the outside, it looks, feels and smells like an iPhone 4. That’s because it is. The inside, however, is where the S
magic happens. The faster A5 processor makes operation noticeably quicker when launching, re-launching apps and when using power-hungry apps such as iMovie.
2. The look #2: The plain fact that it looks like an iPhone 4 will be a hammer blow to those who have waited patiently for a freshly
designed, potentially cooler-loooking iPhone 5. This tweet from @crossan_phil sums it up: “glad the 5 didn’t come out. Gives me more time to use my 24mth contract with the 4!!”
3. The iPhone 4S gaming. The improved graphics are amazing. While the version we used didn’t have Infinity Blade 2 installed, we tried Real Racing 2 which, to us, looked smoother than our iPhone 4 version. The keynote demo of Infinity Blade 2 was mind-blowing considering it was running on a bloomin’ phone. It wowed the room. A room full of cynical hacks. PSP Vita, eat your heart out
4. The iPhone 4S Camera: The 8-megapixel camera shoots great photos (and macro shots). Although we were inside the Covent Garden Apple store with strip lighting a reflections-a-go-go, the resulting shots were nice and sharp, employing some of that new camera tech built into the iPhone 4S. However, the real star of the vision upgrade is…
5. …the 1080p video camera. The difference in quality is instantly noticeable. We were very impressed. Will it nail the coffin shut on
the dwindling camcorder industry? It’s a great upgrade regardless of whether you really need it. Well, cinema pirates might.
6. iOS 5: You all know what it’s like, the 200+ features it brings plus the iCloud. However, getting hands on with Notifications,
Newsstand, iMessage and Reminders demonstrated to us just how much of a step up from iOS 4 it is.
7. The iPhone 4S Price: Apple has announced entry level UK pricing of £499. We think this is for the 16Gb version, which could put the brand new 64Gb model at a whopping £699 (going by the US pricing structure). We need to confirm that though. Orange and T-Mobile have confirmed that they will be selling the iPhone 4S come October 14, presumably on a two-year contract.
8. Speech: Siri is the most interesting feature of the 4S. We asked it the weather in London, and then San Francisco. We gave it a multiplication query. We asked who the prime minister of the UK was. We asked it the meaning of life (‘to answer questions like these’ was the retort). It answered them all. Some of the replies were even funny. From a damn robot. It also got a few things wrong and we think that, in a real-world environment surrounded by lots of noise, it may struggle. Especially as it’s still in beta. We’re looking forward to testing it further (watch this space). Our long-suffering partners, however, aren’t.
9. The Antenna: It’s the big question for many thinking of upgrading – will it still fall foul of the reported drop call issue? Apple claims that switching between the dual antennas will improve call quality and reduce dropouts. We didn’t have enough time to try this out, but are looking to putting that and the 2x download speed claim to the test as soon as we possibly can.
10. The iPhone 4S alternatives: Many smartphones already sport a lot of these features already. And for those who were hoping for a brand-new iPhone 5 today might just now consider a top-drawer Android. They’ll be cheaper, too.
HTC My Touch 4G Slide hands-on (Camera edition)
HTC has been honing its camera skills for some time. We’ve had the HTC Sensation that brought a number of “image effects” to Android, while the EVO 3D has given us three-dimensional shooting and filming.
What if you want a camera phone that really does attempt to replace your point and shoot camera? HTC’s latest attempt at that answer is the T-Mobile MyTouch 4G Slide that not only has the effects found on other HTC Android handsets, but a number of camera like features to impress as well.
via HTC My Touch 4G Slide hands-on (Camera edition) – Pocket-lint.
LG Optimus 3D review
Cilantro might be the most polarizing thing on this planet. Some people can’t eat a fish taco without it, others cry frothy tears of dishsoap at its mere mention. The same may well be true of the LG Optimus 3D (known as the Thrill 4G in the US). We already felt a little torn about the device when we first got our hands on it back in February. Sure, it packed some extra heft and, ahem, Android 2.2.2. But its stupor-inducing, 3D display (combined with some truly poignant marketing) was just enough to whet our appetites. Plus, after having already scarfed down a bowl of HTC’s EVO 3D, we were more than a little keen on tasting LG’s take on the glasses-free 3D recipe – a young and intriguing smartphone genre. Now that we finally have, we’re ready to tackle a question for the ages: dishsoap or delicacy?
